Should You Be Wearing a Nighttime Mouth Guard?

Have you ever woken up in the morning, only to have a sore jaw? That is more common than you may think. It happens when you clench or grind your teeth in your sleep. You wake up in the morning, and not only do your teeth sometimes ache, but your jaw, and often the jaw joint (the TMJ) are quite sore. When this happens, you will likely be recommended to wear a nighttime mouth guard to help protect your teeth.

Benefits of Wearing a Nighttime Mouth Guard

When you wear a nighttime mouth guard, you allow your mouth to rest like it should in your sleep. It helps to protect your teeth from involuntary actions that could damage your teeth. What the nighttime mouth guard does, is puts your teeth into a slightly different alignment. This helps you breathe better when you sleep, plus it allows your teeth to stay apart slightly. This distance makes it impossible for your teeth to meet together and either push, or grind back and forth.

When you wear a nighttime mouth guard for an extended period of time, we will likely be able to point out significant improvements in how much wear and tear your teeth are taking. It isn’t good for your teeth to push hard on each other during the night. Plus, the grinding can wear down your teeth, exposing the roots and nerves. Instead, opting to wear a nighttime mouth guard gives you the chance of fully resting when you sleep at night, without the concern that your teeth are being damaged when you cannot stop the process.

For more information on a nighttime mouth guard, please call us here at Williams Family & Cosmetic Dentistry. Dr. Williams will work with you to see just how much damage your teeth have already taken, and recommend what he feels the best nighttime mouth guard would be for you.